Lois Mary Duplantis Hebert
January 24, 2014
Bryant Keith Johnson
January 29, 2014Update Jan. 29, 3:35 p.m.:
Although Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes remain under a hard freeze warning through Thursday morning, almost all roads and bridges that were closed during the winter storm have reopened and much of the region will resume normal schedules on Thursday.
There are no curfews planned for Lafourche or Terrebonne parishes, according to officials.
La. Highway 1 between Leeville and Fourchon, down for much of Wednesday, has reopened, according to state police.
Public and Catholic schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes will reopen Thursday and resume normal schedules, officials said.
Nicholls State University will also resume classes Thursday.
Fletcher Technical Community College had not yet announced a decision.
Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Lafourche Parish Government and the City of Thibodaux offices will all reopen on Thursday.
Garbage collection will resume in Lafourche, though it was not immediately clear which specific routes that were missed on Tuesday and Wednesday would made up on Thursday.
Garbage collection and the Good Earth Transit Service will resume in Terrebonne.
Terrebonne’s Council on Aging will again be closed.
Most roads and bridges in the Tri-parish area had been opened to traffic by Wednesday afternoon.
In Lafourche, only the Valentine Bridge remained closed, spokeswoman Loralei Gilliam said.
In Terrebonne, all roads and bridges had been reopened, said Earl Eues, director of emergency preparedness.
Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes remain under a hard freeze warning through 9 a.m., Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which advised against non-emergency travel.
“Much of the region’s roadways and bridges remain ice coated this morning,” reads the 4:03 a.m. advisory. “Temperatures will warm to above freezing briefly this afternoon but may not be sufficient for ice melt. Very cold temperatures this evening and tonight will continue to pose a travel hazard with frozen road surfaces and black ice situations.”
In Houma, temperatures are expected to drop as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit late Wednesday into early Thursday, according to the NWS outlook.
Update Jan. 28, 4:45 p.m.:
Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph implemented a parish-wide curfew, effective at 6 p.m., Tuesday, as roads throughout the parish have begun to ice, parish administrator Archie Chiasson said.
The curfew was set to last “until further notice,” Chiasson said. A determinant would be whether temperatures rise enough during the day Wednesday to evaporate accumulated ice before an anticipated dry freeze that evening, he said.
First responders and essential personnel – including employees of government and certain businesses – were still free to travel, but they would have to provide credentials, the administrator said.
“We’re trying to get everybody off the roads,” Chiasson said at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday. “Things are starting to ice over, now, and as it gets colder and darker, it’s going to get worse.”
At that time, the following Lafourche bridges had been barricaded:
– Jackson St. Bridge in Thibodaux
– the Schriever overpass
– T-Bois Lift Bridge
– Valentine pontoon bridge
Terrebonne Parish was not under curfew and there were no immediate plans for one, according to Earl Eues, the parish’s director of emergency preparedness.
Closures in Terrebonne Parish, most originally scheduled for Tuesday, have been extended through Wednesday in most cases.
All public and private schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche are closed through Wednesday. Classes at Nicholls State University are canceled through Wednesday, and Fletcher Technical Community College’s campuses are closed through Wednesday, administrators have announced.
Parish government offices and courthouses in Lafourche and Terrebonne are closed through Wednesday.
Terrebonne General Medical Center has invoked its severe weather plan, right now scheduled through Wednesday, meaning only essential personnel are staffing the facility. Elective surgeries have been canceled through Wednesday, but the emergency room remains open.
Terrebonne General is still open to visitors, but spokeswoman Rhonda Alfred encouraged people to heed local officials’ warnings and stay off the streets unless it is necessary.
Leonard Chabert Medical Center and St. Anne General Hospital canceled elective surgeries through Wednesday, but their emergency rooms remain open. Both hospitals were scheduled to reopen at 1 p.m., Wednesday, administrators said.
Previously:
Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne public, private and parochial schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux will close Tuesday, administrators announced ahead of an approaching winter storm that could deliver freezing rain and icy roads.
Nicholls State University’s classes and events on Tuesday and Wednesday are cancelled, officials announced Monday afternoon. Residence halls and food service remain open and available.
Fletcher Technical Community College will close all of its campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Administration is closely monitoring the weather conditions regarding possible further closure dates,” an official said.
Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph has declared a state of emergency, effective at noon Monday. Randolph advised nonessential businesses to close.
Lafourche government offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Garbage pickup for those days is postponed, with affected routes to be maintained later in the week, spokeswoman Loralei Gilliam said.
The Valentine Pontoon Bridge will close to vehicular traffic at 6 p.m., Monday, Gilliam said. Alternate routes include the T-Bois Lift Bridge in Larose and the Belleview Bridge.
Thibodaux’s city offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Municipal garbage collection has been cancelled, with the normal pick-up scheduled expected to resume Thursday, officials said. Nonessential businesses within city limits have been advised to close.
Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Lafourche Parish Council meeting has been cancelled.
Both courthouses in the 17th Judicial District (Lafourche) are closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Lafourche Council on Aging will close all services on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meals will not be delivered to homebound clients or to senior centers on Thursday, said Charlene Rodriguez, the council’s executive director.
All Lafourche Parish library branches will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, the system announced.
Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet also declared a state of emergency.
The Good Earth Transit Bus Service will not run on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, government, sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices will be closed.
Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center’s emergency room will remain open, but the hospital will be closed to visitors at 8 a.m., Tuesday, until further notice. All of the hospital’s outpatient clinics will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and all elective surgeries scheduled for those days have been canceled. To reschedule appointments, call 985-873-2200.
Garbage collection for Tuesday has been suspended, the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced. The Terrebonne Parish Courthouse and City Court of Houma will be closed on Tuesday.
The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce rescheduled its annual banquet from Tuesday night to Thursday night. It will begin at 7 p.m.
All Terrebonne Parish library branches will be closed on Tuesday, officials said.
The St. Mary Parish Courthouse will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert has placed all deputies on standby, public information officer Traci Landry said.
“During the cold weather event that took place over the weekend, St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to nearly two dozen cold weather related vehicle crashes,” Landry said. “Motorists attempted to cross bridges/overpasses, hit patches of ice, and collided into the bridge structure or other vehicles on the roadways.”
A winter storm watch goes in effect at 6 a.m., Tuesday and lasts through 6 a.m. Wednesday in Lafourche and Terrebonne, according to the National Weather Service’s 8 a.m. advisory. A “wintry mix of precipitation” could begin late Monday night, but the heaviest precipitation is expected on Tuesday.
The watch was upgraded to a warning on Monday afternoon.
A winter storm warning indicates the potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations, which could make travel dangerous. Southeast Louisiana is particularly susceptible to freezing rain accumulation, the Weather Service said.
Sporadic power outages are possible.
Because temperatures are expected to stay suppressed through Tuesday, hazardous driving conditions could stretch into Wednesday, the Weather Service said in its 1:40 p.m. advisory.
In Houma, Tuesday’s high is 34 degrees, with an 80 percent chance of precipitation, according to the Weather Service. The low Tuesday night is 21 degrees. Meteorologists are anticipating a hard freeze early Wednesday morning.
The high Wednesday is 38 degrees, and there’s a 30 percent chance of precipitation, according to the Weather Service.
Wind gusts could reach 20 mph on Tuesday.
The Bayou Cane Fire Department reminded people to use safe practices when trying to warm themselves.
Space heaters should be kept at least 3 feet away from any combustible materials, and gas-fired equipment should be well ventilated, BCFD Chief Ken Himel said.
“Unfortunately, this year in the state, we’re seeing a lot of that,” Himel said. “ We have a catch phrase we like to use: They’re called space heaters for a reason; give them some space.”
Himel said gas stoves and ovens should not be used as heaters. Residents should also ensure carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are operable.
“We don’t get this kind of weather often, but when we do, we have to slow down and pay attention.”
UPDATE 2:05 p.m., Jan. 27:
The St. Mary Parish Courthouse will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced.
UPDATE 3:10 p.m., Jan. 27:
Additional closures include Nicholls State University (Tuesday, Wednesday), Thibodaux city offices (Tuesday, Wednesday), Terrebonne Parish Courts and library branches (Tuesday) and Lafourche Parish Courts and library branches (Tuesday, Wednesday).
UPDATE 4:30 p.m., Jan. 27:
Chabert Medical Center has cancelled elective surgeries for Tuesday and Wednesday and will close all of its outpatient clinics on those days. The hospital’s emergency room will remain open, but the hospital will close to visitors as of 8 a.m., Tuesday.
